What macro lens? (1 Viewer)

Colin C · May 4, 2007

I recently bought a 25mm extension to get closer focusing on my 400mm F5.6 however for the first time yesterday I tried it with the Canon 18-55 kit lens for macro shots of pond life. I used the zoom a means of manually focusing but AF does work provided you get close enough with the zoom.

As a low cost solution I was surprised at how well it works and if you have the kit lens or similar you could try it. The lavae in the photo is 1.5cm to give you an idea.

Admittedly this is in a "home studio" type environment where I can control the lighting but for small beetles I suggest this would be a far better method than getting down on your hands and knees chasing the thing, trying to AF and not shadow it with your lens.

normjackson · May 8, 2007

Maybe postcardcv's pictures suggest extension tubes AND close up lenses might be the order of the day to get enough magnification for tiny beetles with a telephoto macro lens. Might be worth having a couple of these cheap but quite good achromatic close up lenses in the gadget bag :
http://www.morrisphoto.co.uk/ProductDetails~productID~6295~categoryid~.html

Cyclops · May 8, 2007

Good deal on that AML! And if good thing about using extension tubes with tele zooms is that you only need a very short tube to get close. So less light loss!

gandytron · May 8, 2007

Another option to throw into the ring, and this is pretty inexpensive, is the Tamron 70 - 300 mm zoom which has an in-built macro switch, giving a 180 - 300 mm macro lens. I bought this lense for about 5,000 Baht (about 80 quid) in Bangkok, and it gives some excellent images both as a macro and as a telephoto - I've had a number of photos published with it, and currently have a photo shortlisted in a major international competition using this lense on the macro setting. Also I just bought a Tokina 100mm f2.8 macro which I've not had a chance to field test yet, but this lens has strong reviews alongside the Sigma 105mm and the Tamrom 90mm.

Jay23 · Jul 15, 2007

Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro

I recently decided on a Sigma 150 Macro for my 30D, specifically for photographing insects. I researched the subject fairly thoroughly and had a few reservations because I had read that as a short telephoto (also useful to have ) it was considered somewhat 'soft' and also that 150mm plus the weight ( it's a bit of a brute ) made it difficult to hand hold.

Having used the lens a bit I can state that it is utterly stunning! Being 150 mm makes it fantastic for butterflies, it's resolving power is breathtaking and as a short telephoto it is very, very sharp indeed, sharper in fact than my 24-105 'L' series lens. I have used it on a tripod and hand held for butterflies and the results have consistently amazed me! I can recommend this lens unreservedly.

Wildman · Jul 15, 2007

ChrisSearle said:
I recently decided on a Sigma 150 Macro for my 30D, specifically for photographing insects. I researched the subject fairly thoroughly and had a few reservations because I had read that as a short telephoto (also useful to have ) it was considered somewhat 'soft' and also that 150mm plus the weight ( it's a bit of a brute ) made it difficult to hand hold.

Having used the lens a bit I can state that it is utterly stunning! Being 150 mm makes it fantastic for butterflies, it's resolving power is breathtaking and as a short telephoto it is very, very sharp indeed, sharper in fact than my 24-105 'L' series lens. I have used it on a tripod and hand held for butterflies and the results have consistently amazed me! I can recommend this lens unreservedly.

Thanks for this, my mate has one and he thinks it's great to.
Cheers

What macro lens? (1 Viewer)

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Colin C

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normjackson

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Cyclops

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gandytron

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Jay23

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Wildman

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